DALLAS - Avery Johnson, who guided the Dallas Mavericks
to the cusp of an NBA championship, agreed Thursday to a
reported five-year, $20 million contract extension.
The Mavericks announced that Johnson has been given an extension
at undisclosed terms. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported the
terms, which could keep Johnson on the sidelines through the
2010-11 season.
"I'm thrilled that Avery will be coaching the Mavs for years to
come," Mavericks billionaire owner Mark Cuban said in a
statement. "He is a great partner and person that makes us a
better organization. Plus he is a great coach, too."
"This is just another sign that Mark and I are committed to work
with each other," Johnson told the newspaper. "We have laid
the foundation of where we want to go. We haven't gotten there
yet, but we're both committed to do whatever it takes - however
long it takes - to get there."
According to the report, the deal gives Johnson a salary
commensurate with his achievements and experience. His first
deal was worth approximately $10 million for four years, in the
lower third among coaches but fair for a coach with no previous
experience.
Johnson, 41, showed that experience didn't matter much. He went
16-2 after replacing Don Nelson for the final 18 games of the
2004-05 season and guided the Mavericks to a 60-22 mark last
season, which matched the best record in franchise history and
earned him 2006 NBA Coach of the Year honors.
"The Little General" also directed the Mavericks to their first
NBA Finals appearance. Dallas eliminated nemesis and defending
champion San Antonio in seven games in the Western Conference
semifinals, winning Game Seven on the road in overtime in one of
the great series in league history.
After dispatching Phoenix in six games in the conference finals,
the Mavericks won the first two games of the NBA Finals over
the Miami Heat and held a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of
Game Three.
But Dallas lost that game and did not win again, losing the
series in six games amid a series of distractions.
According to the report, negotiations on an extension stalled
this summer before Cuban and Johnson worked out this deal.
"I am really excited for Avery," said Mavericks president of
basketball operations Donnie Nelson, the son of Don Nelson. "We
are so happy to keep him in the Mavericks family for an
extended period of time."
One of just two players under 6 feet to play 1,000 NBA games,
Johnson became an assistant to Nelson before the 2004-05 season
and coached a handful of games before replacing him.